Disappointing day for Irish in Beijing as quartet make exit
Pena (Finn Valley) finished 10th in Group A of the women’s pole vault qualification with a best of 4.30m. Pena had targeted 4.45m but was happy with her progress this season.
“I wanted a bit more,” she said afterwards. “This year was definitely a building year for me. Last year was really rough, I struggled with injuries so I’m happy overall with the progress, but my training didn’t really show.”
Michelle Finn (Leevale), Sara Treacy (Dunboyne) and Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle) battled hard in the heats of the 3,000m steeplechase but were unable to advance to the final.
Finn finished ninth in heat one (9:55.27) in hot and humid conditions. “It was fun, it was cool to run here but I would have liked to have run faster,” said Finn afterwards.
Treacy was frustrated with her 13th place finish in the second heat (9:48.24). “It was hard, I’m not very happy with my race,” she said. “I’ve so much to improve on and I’m glad I got the experience, so I can only improve for next year. I’m raging, but there you go, it was my third quickest (time). It was solid enough but I know I’m capable of quicker. It’s annoying not to run a season’s best.
O’Flaherty rounded out the Irish involvement finishing 13th in the third, and final, heat in 10:05.10. “I’m disappointed about the time but I’m delighted to be here, and hopefully on the road to Rio now it’s given me the chance to run against the best in the world and experience the call room and everything.”
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won a thrilling women’s 100m final in 10.76 seconds edging Dafne Schippers (Netherlands) in 10.81 with USA’s Tori Bowie third in 10.86.
The women’s 10,000m final was equally exciting, and close, with Vivian Cheruyiot taking gold in 31:41.31 ahead of Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka in 31:41.77. USA’s Emily Infeld edged the bronze ahead of her compatriot Molly Huddle - 31:43.49 to 31:43.58.
Ezekiel Kemboi led a Kenyan clean sweep in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase in 8:11.28 followed by Conseslus Kipruto and Brimin Kipruto in 8:12.38 and 8:12.54 respectively.
In the field, Shawnacy Barber won the men’s pole vault with a first-time clearance of 5.90m. Raphael Holzdeppe also cleared 5.90m but lost on count back. Pawel Wojiechowski (Poland) was third with a best of 5.80m.
Caterine Ibarguen (Colombia) won the women’s triple jump in 14.90m. Israel’s Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko bagged silver with 14.78m and Kazakhastan’s Olga Rypakova won bronze with 14.77m.
